Jamie's Law Report Fall 2025

I. Introduction & Background

In 2015, the West Virginia Legislature passed House Bill 2535, which, among other things, created W. Va. Code § 18B-1B-7 and was known as “Jamie’s Law.” The stated purpose of the introduced bill is as follows:

[T]o expand the number of people who are trained in suicide prevention in order to maximize the possibility that at risk children and adults can be saved. School personnel from middle school through college will not only be trained, they will provide children and young adults with suicide prevention information, facilitate discussion about preventing suicide and make mental health resources available. Licensed medical professionals will be required to obtain education in suicide prevention as part of their licensing process. ¹

Then, on June 5, 2015, the West Virginia University Board of Governors resolved to approve a motion to develop and implement a plan to comply with Jamie’s Law. As part of the plan, the University adopted WVU-PD-7, Threat Assessment, Behavioral Intervention and Suicide Prevention.

In summary, the law provides that WVU “shall develop and implement a policy to advise students and staff on suicide prevention programs available on and off campus . . .” The policy shall include, but not be limited to, crisis intervention access, mental health program access, multimedia application access, student communication plans, and post-intervention plans. Additionally, the law requires WVU to provide all incoming students with information about depression and suicide prevention resources; post the required information on the university website, along with any free-of-cost prevention materials or programs; and, more recently, requires WVU to print certain information on student identification cards.

The purpose of this report is to outline the requirements of Jamie’s Law and the University’s efforts to further it. Each section below highlights WVU’s efforts to implement Jamie’s Law. Any questions or comments about the report, can be directed to Dr. Jeneice Shaw, Interim Director, Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services.

II. Crisis Intervention Access ²

The following Suicide Prevention Hotlines are available to members of the University community:

III. Mental Health Program Access ³

IV. Multimedia Application Access ⁴

V. Student Communication Plans ⁵

Outreach Plans Regarding Educational and Outreach Activities on Suicide Prevention

VI. Post-Intervention Plans ⁶

To develop a strategic plan to communicate effectively with students, staff, and parents after the loss of a student to suicide, WVU has developed a student postvention plan, which incorporated best practices outlined by national mental health agencies as well as campus specific recommendations. This plan/protocol is utilized for any known or suspected student death by suicide and is administered by the CARE Team.

VII. Post-Intervention Plans ⁷

During the Fall 2024 semester, the University provided this report via e-mail from University Relations to all students, faculty, and staff at its campuses, which specifically references the mental health and suicide prevention resources available to students.

The university will distribute this report via email from the Strategic Communications and Marketing Team to all WVU faculty and staff early September.

Available mental health services and other support services highlighted in the distribution include Campus and Community mental health resources, crises hotline contact information, and mental health and suicide prevention resources that are listed above. Other resources that directly support students (and indirectly by supporting faculty/staff) are described below.

The CARE (Collaboration, Assessment, Response, Engagement) Team is a multidisciplinary group that addresses and helps at-risk students obtain the needed support and assistance to be successful at WVU. Balancing the need for privacy and autonomy of the individual and the needs of community safety, the team provides timely assistance and interventions to best serve the students and WVU community.

SupportingYOU is a multidisciplinary, peer support program that supports healthcare providers' mental and emotional wellness for WVU Health Care providers. This unit focuses on offering designated time for reflection following difficult professional and personal life stressors. The goal is to build community within the hospital and ensure employees can access additional resources such as the Employee Assistance Program and Faculty and Staff Assistance Program.

The WVU Health Science Center Physician Wellness Committee was established in Fall of 2022. This task force aims to reduce provider burnout. As an action-oriented effort, they have made efforts to assess current system strengths/weaknesses and developed teams to address burn-out. The committee has developed and submitted recommendations to leadership. A related taskforce report for 2024 is available.

The Resident Wellness Committee is a multidisciplinary team with representatives from various Graduate Medical Education accredited residency training programs. The mission is to improve residents’ experience in training by identifying logistical and institutional barriers, enhancing the workplace environment and identifying other outlets and programs to assist residents in maintaining and improving their overall mental/physical health.

The Graduate and Professional Student Wellness Committee is a collaborative body composed of representatives from various offices dedicated to supporting student wellness at West Virginia University. Its mission is to assess the evolving wellness needs of graduate and professional students and to facilitate effective communication and coordination of available wellness programs and resources.

The Behavioral Health Exchange Program has been created to support the mental well-being of WVU Medicine’s physicians and residents. This initiative allows medical professionals at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and WVU Medicine East to access mental health services at the alternate site. Physicians and residents may schedule appointments with mental health providers outside their primary work location—either at Ruby or WVU East—to help mitigate confidentiality concerns that may arise from receiving care within their immediate professional environment. This program reflects WVU Medicine’s ongoing commitment to protecting the privacy, comfort, and psychological safety of our healthcare team.

Regarding student organizations that support student mental health: at this time there are no identified “student run organizations that are for individuals at risk or affected by suicide” however there are many student run organizations that advocate for individuals’ mental health and wellbeing.

• Wellbeing and Mental Health Student Advisory Board
• Morgan’s Message Chapter at WVU
• Active Minds WVU
• The Self Love Club
• Wellness Council
• Clear the Stress

VIII. Website Postings ⁸

IX. Jamie’s Law Subcommittee

A subcommittee of the University’s CARE Team was formed to advance the goals of Jamie’s Law at WVU. This group will continue to meet regularly to document and promote suicide prevention resources, and to develop clear, formal guidance and training protocols for faculty and staff on recognizing and responding to suicide risk.

X. Suicide Prevention Training Module

This year, the university developed a virtual, self-paced Suicide Prevention Learning Module designed to equip both faculty/staff and students with the knowledge and tools to support mental health on campus. The module covers key topics including recognizing warning signs of distress, effective intervention strategies, and accessing crisis resources. This accessible training strengthens our campus-wide commitment to early identification and support for individuals in need.

The module will be shared via ENews and UNews (Fall 2025), housed in the course catalogue, and accessible to faculty/staff in the course catalogue once Work Day goes live (anticipated next year). Carruth Center staff will also partner with Talent and Culture to integrate the module into onboarding.

XI. Conclusion

a. The Jamie’s Law subcommittee will continue to meet to review ongoing suicide prevention efforts. In the coming year, the committee will continue with efforts to incorporate the suicide prevention training module into onboardings across campus.

Footnotes

• ¹ W. Va. Legislature, H.B. 2535, (last visited August 22, 204), available at: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb2535%20intr.htm&yr=2015&sesstype=RS&i=2535.
• ² W. Va. Code § 18B-1B-7(a)(1).
• ³ W. Va. Code § 18B-1B-7(a)(2).
• ⁴ W. Va. Code § 18B-1B-7(a)(3).
• ⁵ W. Va. Code § 18B-1B-7(a)(4).
• ⁶ W. Va. Code § 18B-1B-7(a)(5).
• ⁷ W. Va. Code § 18B-1B-7(b).
• ⁸ W. Va. Code § 18B-1B-7(c).